Saturday, December 04, 2010

When the name of the town is Namche Bazaar, it's not exactly surprising that the center of town is a market.

But what a market! This sprawling display is known as "the Tibetan market" because traders trek over from that Chinese-dominated country across Himalayan passes well over 20,000 feet in order to sell their goods in Nepal. Clearly the border is someone else's line that seems made to be crossed from the point of view of the hill peoples.

It's a bustling, if cold, place on a November day -- the end of the season as the passes will soon be closed by winter snows.

What's on sale? To me, it looked like a jumble of products from Chinese factories that make knock-offs of European and American brands. Perhaps these had failed to pass inspection? For the Nepalese, this stuff is the best of bargains. The porters who carried our gear loaded an additional 3 feet of bedding bought here on top of our (relatively compact) gear. Whether these were presents for their lowland relatives or intended for resale, I didn't find out.

What's this blog about?

My musings on current events, current projects, current anxieties and current delights.

I started this under the Bush regime when any grain of sand thrown into the gears of the over-reaching imperial state seemed worthwhile.

I have worked to elect more and better Democrats -- and to hammer the shit out of them once we get them in office so they do the things their constituents want and need. It's a big job.

I have endured the dashed potential for a more transformational regime under Obama. The man has made himself an accomplice in the imperial crimes of his predecessor as well as committing his own. He has also almost certainly been the most progressive president most of us will live to see. I fear we'll look back on his years in office with mild gratitude for a respite from national leadership that was habitually stupid and vicious, as well as wrong.

Visitors here will find a lot of commentary on books I'm reading. I am very intentionally reading intensively offline these days. When it feels hard to find direction, it's time to learn something new.

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About Me

I'm a progressive political activist who runs trails and climbs mountains whenever any are available. I've had the privilege to work for justice in Central America (Nicaragua and El Salvador), in South Africa, in the fields of California with the United Farmworkers Union, and in the cities and schools of my own country. I'm a Christian of the Episcopalian flavor; we think and argue a lot. For work, I've done a bit of it all: run an old fashioned switch-board; remodeled buildings and poured concrete; edited and published periodicals, reports and books; and organized for electoral campaigns. I am currently an independent consultant to organizations seeking "help when you have to make a fight."